Plate-printing machine.



(c. E. DRANGE.

PLATE PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC.4, I915.

Patentedflug". 13, 191 8.

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Patented Au 13, 1918.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cant LEBERI-IARD DRANGE, or PLAINFIELD, new JERSEY, nssrenon roisnnnrne soorr AND DAVID J. soo'r'r, :exncurons or WALTER soorr, nncnnsnn, LATE or PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

rLA'rE-rmnrime MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted Aug. 13,1918.

Application filed December 4, 1915. Serialfio.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known .that I, CARL E. DRANGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of 'New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plate- Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to printing machines, and more particularly to printing machines employing flexible printing members, such as rotary lithographic presses which print from a zinc, aluminum orother flexible memberheld in place on the surface of the cylinder. by devices which exert a constanttension or strain on the flexible member.

In adapting rotary lithographic presses for use in the printing of periodicals, in which the margins between pages are very narrow, it has been found that the ordinary 1 plate andblanket members such as are used in the regular rotarylithographic presses are not suitable. The reason for this is that such members provide margins so wide as to be wasteful of paper 1 which i renders them impracticable for use in periodical printing.

The only prior-device knownto meet the indicated requirements is that disclosed in theapplication-of'Walter C. Scott, Serial No. 854,081, filedvJuly 30,- 1914,11]. which plate clamping jackets, or turtles, are clai y in position. y

In this improved device the printing ployed. While these jackets have solved the problem relating to the width of margins, they are expensive in construction and somewhat cumbersome tohandle; I I

An object of this invention is to provide means for I clamping printing members on the supporting cylinders without the use of jackets andwhich will atthe same time satisfy the standard periodical" margin xre' quirement's. j Another object is to provide a mechanism for clamping a flexible member to the cylindrical support which can be quickly adjusted member, which may be a flexible metallic plate,isiheld by bars which are fastened to the platebeforethe latter is put onthe cylinder, and after the barsare clamped to opposite ends of the plate, they are dropped through a narrow slot, or slots as the case maybe, into the cylinder. Thebars are then acted upon by means carried on the cylinder for placing the plate in a condition of tension 01' strain to cause it to clamp the cylinder tightly. e

Other features of construction will appear as the specification proceeds.

Inthe accompanying drawings: I

Figure 1 illustrates a view partly in elevation and partly in section of one end of a cylinder with the printing plates clamped in position for operation. t

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing in detail the means for clamping or putting the plates under tension s t Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in detail showing a modified form ofclamping means.

Similar reference characters indicate cor responding parts in the several views.

In the drawings 1 is the supporting cylinder mounted on the shaft 2. At 3 are shown the flexibleplateswhich are adapted to be mounted on the cylindrical surface of the supporting cylinder. A single plate covering the whole circumference of the supportingcylinder may obviously be used, or. on the other hand a greater number than two such plates may be mounted on the same cylinder as best suits the nature of the work forwhich the machine is designed.

At 4 is shown What may be termed the main reinforcing, or clamping, member while at 5 is shown a second reinforcing, or clamping, member. screw 6 is employed to causethe members 4 and 5 to grip the plate endftherebetw een. The reinforc ing members are attached to the plates before I lacing the plates on the supporting cylin er. The reinforcing member 4is preferablymade ofa single piece the length of which; corresponds to the width of a flexible plate. The clamping member 5 may be a single piece or made insections as desired.

In the cylinders are pockets or relatively large openings 7 in which are mounted the rotatable shafts 8 provided with dogs 9 in Figs. 1 and 2 and with cam projections 10 in Fig. 4. The shafts 8 projectbeyond the end of the cylinder through the cylinder head 11 which provides a bearing for the shafts where they are provided with squared ends 12.' Arms 13 fitted to the squared shaft ends are adapted to give rotation thereto by meansof thexactionof adjusting screws 14 bearing again-st theflfree ends of the arms 13. The adjusting screws 14 are mounted in nuts or brackets 15 mounted on the head 11.

It will be seen that by manipulating the adjusting screws 14 the arms 13 can be made to turn the shafts 8 and thereby cause the dogs 9 or cams 10 to engage and rock the members 4 about the edge 16 as a fulcrum to draw or strain the plate 3 and cause it to clamp closely against the surface of the cylindrical support as is best shown in ig-r The construction of the clamp. members issuch that when they are ,placed'in position the lower of the clamping in'embers 5 bears against the fulcrum or pivotal edge 16, [As a result of this construction the "force of the gripping action of the clamping member 5 against the member 4 is increased in accordance with the increase of pressure on the member-'4 by the dog 9 so that the more the member 4 is moved the more securely the plate is held by the clamping members. j

Ashas already 'been pointed out the reinforcing members are attached 'to'the flexible plates outside of the press and these members are dropped into the slots 16 when 7 the plate is applied to the cylinder. 'Each set of clamping, or reinforcing, members is comparatively narrow vsothat two' s'ets together do not fill the slot in which they are placed; The object of this construction is to allow of an adjustment 'of 'th e reinforc- 1 g 'n em bers across the width of the slot to strain the flexible plate. I I In'pl'acin'g a plate "in position on the cylindrical suppertitfwill be obvious that the plate ends carrying the reinforcing members mustbe dropped into place in the slots one at a time. In ord'erto prevent the first end from dropping out'wh'i'le the second is being put into place aud -before the plate is clamped to the cylinder, the reinforcing member 4 is provided with a projection or tang 17 at each end,an d atjea c'h end of the cylinder, is mounted a latch member 18 adapted to project over the tang 17 and thereby fprevent thereinforcing .member 4 from falling out fof the slot. The latch member '18 is carried by a supporting block 19 mounted in a"rec'ess 120 in thecylinder. To assist in releasing the tension onjthe plate'swhen the screwsf1' 4are turned to release pressure on the arms 13, springs 21 are provided which automatically move the arms 13 to releasing position when pressure is released thereon. e

"In -Fig. 4"is shown a modification of the t5 device in 'wlhic'h asin gleshaft '8 is employed provided with a pair of cam projections which are adapted to simultaneously engage both the members 4 which project into the opening 7.

lVhat is claimed, is:

1. A printing member comprising: a cylindrical supporting member having a slot in its surface adjacent to the underside of which is a fulcrum member, a flexible printmg member, means for securing one end of said flexible member to said supporting member, a pair of relatively movable clamping members adapted to be attached to the other end of the flexible member and enteri'ngsaid slot in position to rock on the fulcrum member, and means for rocking said clamping members about said fulcrum to move the clamping members relatively to each other to clamp the flexible member and the clamp ingmembers as a unit to strain the flexible member.

'2. A flexible printing member straining device consisting of two clampin members adapted to be attached to a llexib e printing member and to be swung on a fulcrum intermediate the ends of one of said members to strain the flexible member, and means whereby the increasing pressure on the pivot point caused by the straining action simultaneously increases the grip of the clamping members on the flexible member.

3. A iplate clamp, a plate support, means for removably mounting said clamp in said support, a latch for preventing said clamp from dropping out of said support before the plate is strained, and means for rocking said clamp to strain the plate.

4. A printing :member comprising: a cylindrical supporting member having a slot in its surface adjacent to the underside of which is a fulcrum member, a flexible member,'means-for securing one end of said flexible member to the cylinder, reinforcing means at the other end of the plate loosely entering said :slot and having an angular portion which is ;in position to rock on the fulcrum member when said reinforcing means enter .sazid slot, and means on the supportin member for engaging the reinforcing means to cause the latter to rock on-said fulcrun'rmember to strain'the iflexible member on the supporting member.

I 5. Aprinting member comprising: ;a cylindrical supporting member having ea slot in its surface adjacent to the underside of which is a fulcrum member, a flexible member, means for securingoneend of saidflexible .member to the cylinder, reinforcing means at "the other end of the plate loosely entering said slot and having an angular portion which is in osition to :rock on .the fulcrum member when said reinforcing means lentersaid slot, and rotatable means on the supporting member for engaging the reinforcing means to cause the latter to rock on said fulcrum member to strain the flexible member on the supporting member.

6. A printing machine cylinder comprising: a cylindrical supporting member having a relatively narrow slot in the cylindrical surface parallel to the axis of said supporting member, a flexible printing member adapted to cover said cylindrical surface with the ends extending into said slot, and devices adapted to be rocked about the edges of the slot for pulling the ends toward each other in a ath substantially in alinement with the cy indrical surface.

7. A printing machine cylinder comprising: a cylindrical supporting member having ing a relatively large opening terminating in a narrow slot on the surface of said supporting member, a fixed abutment on said supporting member, a flexible member having rigidreinforcing members attached to the ends thereof said flexible member being arranged to cover said cylindrical surface and to have the attached reinforcing members inserted into said slot, and means in said opening to rock said reinforcing members around said fixed abutment to strain said flexible member.

8. A printing machine cylinder comprising a cylindrical supporting member having a relatively large opening terminating in a narrow slot on the surface of said supporting member, a flexible member having rigid reinforcing members clamped to the ends thereof and arranged to cover said cylindrical surface and to have the attached reinforcing members extended through said slot into said 0 oening each of said members being adapted to engage an edge of said slot intermediate the edges of the member, and means in said opening for rocking said members about said edges as fulcrums to strain the flexible member.

9. A printing machine cylinder comprising: a cylindrical supporting member havmg a relatively large opening terminating in a narrow slot on the surface of said Supporting member, a flexible printing memberhaving rigid reinforcing members attached to the ends thereof, said flexible member being arranged to cover said cylindrical surface and to have the attached reinforcing members extended through said slot into said opening, and means in said opening for engaging and rocking each of said members on an edge of said slot as a fulcrum to strain said flexible member.

Signed at Plainfield, in the countyof Union and State of New Jersey, this th day of November, A. D. 1915.

CARL EBERHARD DRANGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

